Noah's POV
I gently rubbed Jessica's back while she threw up into her second bucket for the fourth time.
"N-Noah? Where's... where's my..." her words were replaced with snores as she drifted into sleep.
John came up behind and tapped my shoulder lightly. I turned around to see no Karenina.
I led John into the hallway and closed the door behind me, "Where is she?"
"She just ran away, she's pissed off about Jessica being the surrogate or something."
"But she said it was okay."
"Apparently it's not now, I don't know why she can't make up her damn mind."
"Ugh, I'll go find her."
"How?"
"She couldn't have gotten far considering the gates are sealed shut." I said walking towards the stairs.
"Okay, but what do you want me to do with Jessi?"
"Just watch her, make sure she doesn't die." I said turning a corner and walking down the stairs and outside into the cobble stone streets.
I walked around the village calling for Karenina until I turned a corner and heard faint sobbing coming from one of the houses. I walked towards it and knocked on the door.
"Karenina?" I said softly.
"Get the fuck out of here!" She snapped.
"I'm coming in."
"No! I said go away!"
"Yeah, I'm coming in."
I opened the door to see her laying down on a bed and facing the wall.
"What's the matter?" I asked.
"You know what. I don't know how you could let her be having this baby." She said
"Because, John makes me happy and I wanted to have a baby with him."
"Why couldn't you adopt?"
"Jessica offered to be the surrogate and we accepted."
"This isn't fair! What if she dies during labor?!"
"She won't, and we're taking perfect care of her, and it's not your baby, Karenina. It's not mine either, it's Jessica's and it's John's, we don't get a say in what happens to the baby."
"Why not?"
"Because it's John's sperm and Jessica's egg, we had nothing to do with it's creation."
"But she's my fiancé!"
"John's my fiancé and it was his sperm, but it's still his baby!"
"But that doesn't seem fair! Why do you just let him control you?!"
"BECAUSE HE'S TWO FEET TALLER THAN ME AND SIX YEARS OLDER THAN ME! I'M KINDA SCARED TO TELL HIM NO, HE COULD KILL ME WITH HIS BARE HANDS IF HE WANTED!" The tears rolled down my face as Karenina's eyes widened.
"I... I had no idea."
I slid down the wall and buried my face in my knees. I heard Karenina get up and walk over to me. I felt her hands on my shoulders and her head against mine.
"Why can't I just have one good day?" I asked.
"Because, their are no good days in the 1500s. There just aren't." She sad.
"I'm sorry John got Jessica pregnant."
"No, it's fine and you don't need to apologize for him anyway."
"I just don't know anymore. I mean, I'm sixteen and married and having a baby! I think I'm moving a little too fast in my life. I wanna slow down, but I can't."
"Why?"
"Because, there are so many barriers just coming at me and I can't dodge them all so I keep taking these short cuts."
"Well, then stop taking the short cuts, life was meant to be filled with mistakes and barriers coming at you and knocking you down."
I sighed, "I'm just so sick of having to stop and think, "Holy shit! I'm just a teenager and I'm ruling a kingdom!" You know?"
"Yeah, I know what you mean."
"Are you ready to go back?"
"I guess so, but you need to start standing up for yourself. John's got nothing on you, and if he ever hurts you, let me know."
"Thanks Karenina."
She nodded and we walked outside and towards the castle where John was waiting.
"There you are!" John said walking over and hugging me.
Karenina walked inside the castle and went upstairs to her room. I followed her and walked into her room to see a sleeping Jessica and a smiling Karenina.
She hugged me, "Thank you."
"Anytime, she is carrying my legal baby after all." I said.
Karenina chuckled and then looked back down at Jessica, "She's so cute."
"Well, I'll let you two have some alone time."
"Alright, see you later Noah." I closed the door as Karenina stroked Jessica's back. I turned around and was startled to see John standing right behind me.
"You startled me." I said passing him and walking to our room.
"Sorry, I thought you heard me come in." He said closing the door behind him.
There was a long awkward silence before John said something.
"Are you really scared of me?"
"You-You heard that?"
"Yeah, I heard shouting and I followed it and crouched down outside the house and listened to your conversation."
"But-But then how did you get here before us?"
"I left after, "I'm sorry John got Jessica pregnant." Because at that point I'd heard enough."
"Are you mad at me?"
He sighed, "Yeah, a little."
"But why? She was so depressed and I had to say something."
"But telling her you're sorry for me getting her girlfriend pregnant? Was that the only thing you could say."
"I didn't know what else to say." I looked at the floor and tears welled in my eyes.
"Why would you tell her that? Do you not want us to be married? Do you not want us to have kids? What is it Noah? Huh? I need answers!"
The tears started falling and the room got quiet, "This is why I'm scared of you, John. Ever since you hit me, I don't know what to think."
He walked over and hugged me, he walked us over to the bed and laid down with me in his lap. He patted my back gently as I cried into his chest.
"I'm so sorry, Noah. I'd never ever hurt you like that again. I just need to work on my anger a little bit, and I promise I'll never make you feel unsafe like that ever again."
"You promise?"
"Yeah, but Noah?"
"Yes?"
"If I ever start to make you feel sacred, I want you to run, okay?" John started to sniffle a little and I felt a tear drop hit the top of my head. "I want you to run and never look back, I want you to take the baby and leave me here, okay?"
"Okay, John." We cried in each other's arms until we both fell asleep.
YOU ARE READING
Kings and Queens
Romance"Ever done it with a peasant?" He asked towering over me, his chest blocking my vision of the sun. "Ever done it with a prince?" I asked. "No, but we can change that." "Can we? My father would flip if he found out." "Screw that bastard, love is lo...
